Drum device for home appliance

ABSTRACT

Drum device for a home appliance having a chamber for drying or washing laundry, including a sound attenuation member fitted to an outside surface thereof, thereby effectively attenuating noise caused by impact of articles, such as buttons, zippers, clips, and the like fitted to the laundry, to the metallic drum when the laundry introduced into the chamber is lifted and dropped as the drum rotates.

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present invention relates to a home appliance, and moreparticularly, to a drum device for minimizing noise from a drum in whichwashing or drying is in progress in a washing machine or a dryingmachine.

BACKGROUND ART

[0002] In general, the dryer is an apparatus for drying objects, such aslaundry, introduced into the drum by blowing air heated by an electricheater or a gas burner.

[0003] The specification takes a drum device used in the dryer as anexample for convenience of description. However, the present inventionis applicable to any apparatus which uses a drum, such as a washingmachine.

[0004]FIG. 1 illustrates a disassembled perspective view of key parts ofa related art dryer. As shown, a drum 1 is installed in a cabinet (notshown) that forms an outside shape of the dryer.

[0005] The drum 1 is cylindrical, with opposite opened ends, and has abelt groove 2 along an outside circumference of a middle of the drum 1for winding a drum belt 4 driven by a motor 3. The drum 1 has a dryingchamber 5 therein for carrying out drying. The drum 1 has a plurality ofbaffles 6 for turning drying objects in the drying chamber 5. Since thedrum 1 has high temperature air circulating inside of the drum 1, thedrum 1 is in general formed of a metal, for an example, stainless steel.Reference numeral 3′ denotes a pulley for transmission of power from themotor 3 to the drum belt 4.

[0006] The drum 1 is provided with a front head 7 and a rear head 9fitted to a front end and a rear end thereof, oppositely. The front heat7 and the rear head 9 close opened parts of the drum 1, to form thedrying chamber 5, and support the front end and the rear end of the drum1. There are sealing members 10 fitted between the front head 7 and thedrum 1, and the rear head 9 and the drum 1, both make relative motion,for prevention of leakage. Of course, there are a plurality of rollers(not shown) provided at required positions of the front end and the rearend of the drum 1, for supporting the drum 1.

[0007] The front head 7 has an opening 8 for making inside and outsideof the drying chamber 5 in communication. The opening 8 is selectivelyopened by a door (not shown).

[0008] The rear head 9 is fitted with an air supply duct 12, incommunication with the inside of the drying chamber 5 for serving as apassage for supplying air, more precisely, a heated air to the inside ofthe drying chamber 5.

[0009] There is a lint duct 15, an air escape from the drying chamber 5,at one side of the front head 7 at a bottom of the opening 8 of thefront head 7, having a lint filter therein for filtering foreign matters(for example, lint and dust) contained in the air escaping from thedrying chamber 5.

[0010] There is a blower 17 connected to the lint duct 15, for drawingair inside of the drying chamber 5 through the lint duct 15.

[0011] The blower 17 is fitted to an inside of a blower housing 18having one side in communication with the lint duct 15 and the otherside connected to an air discharge pipe 19. Therefore, the air, escapedfrom the drying chamber 5 and passed through the lint duct 15, isdischarge to an outside through the air discharge pipe 19 by the blower17.

[0012] In the meantime, there is a hot air duct 20 connected to the airsupply duct 12. The hot air duct 20 supplies hot air which makes dryingaction in the drying chamber 5. To do this, the hot air duct 20 isprovided with a system for generating a thermal energy for heating theair.

[0013] That is, the hot air duct 20 has a mixing tube 24, for mixing agas sprayed from a gas nozzle 22 with a primary air. The gas nozzle 22is fitted to one side of a valve 30 for controlling gas supply. Thereference numeral 23 denotes a gas supply tube 23 connected to the valve30. The gas nozzle 22 at one side of the valve 30 is fitted to an inletto the mixing tube 24 opposite thereto.

[0014] Accordingly, the gas sprayed from the gas nozzle 22 and externalair introduced through the inlet of the mixing tube 24, i.e., theprimary air, are mixed inside of the mixing tube 24.

[0015] In the meantime, there is an ignition plug 26 at an outlet sideof the mixing tube 24.

[0016] The operation of the foregoing related art dryer will beexplained.

[0017] Upon pressing a starting button after laundry, drying objects, isintroduced into the drying chamber 5 in the drum 1, and a door thereonis closed, the drum 1 starts to rotate as the drum belt 4 wound aroundthe belt groove 2 is driven by the motor 3. As the blower 17 starts, theair inside of the drying chamber 5 is drawn through the lint duct 15.Then, external air is introduced into the inside of the drying chamber 5through the air supply duct 12.

[0018] The air to the air supply duct 12 is heated to a relatively hightemperature by heat supplied from the gas burned as the gas passesthrough the hot air duct 20. The hot air is introduced to the inside ofthe drying chamber 5 in the drum 1 through the air supply duct 12. Afterabsorbing moist contained in the laundry in the drying chamber 5, thehot air escapes the drying chamber 5 owing to a suction power of theblower 17.

[0019] The air is involved in filtering dust and lint as the hot airpasses through the lint filter fitted to an inside of the lint duct 15.

[0020] However, the foregoing related art has the following problems.

[0021] The laundry inside of the drum 1 of a metal, such as stainlesssteel, repeats a process of being lifted and dropped by the baffles 6 asthe laundry rotates along with the drum 1. In this instance, fittings tothe laundry, such as buttons, zippers, clips, collide with a surface ofthe metallic drum when the laundry drops inside of the drum 1, togenerate noise.

[0022] Moreover, metallic foreign matters, such as coin, also drop andcollide with the drum surface to generate noise when the drum rotates,which is amplified as the drum acts as a kind of a resonator.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

[0023] An object of the present invention, designed for solving theforegoing various problems, lies on an effective insulation of vibratorynoise occurred as fittings to laundry, or metallic foreign matters,collide with an inside surface of the drum in a home appliance duringthe drum rotates.

[0024] For achieving the object of the present invention, there isprovided a drum device for a home appliance including a drum having achamber therein rotatably fitted for carrying out a work, and vibrationreductive sound insulating member fitted to the drum for insulatingvibratory sound caused by collision of objects.flowing inside of thechamber with the drum as the drum is rotated.

[0025] The vibration reductive sound insulating member may be fittedaround an outside circumferential surface of the drum. The outsidecircumferential surface of the drum has recesses for fitting thevibration reductive sound insulating members therein.

[0026] A plurality of the vibration reductive sound insulating membersmay be fitted to the outside surface of the drum in a length directionof the drum. The outside circumferential surface of the drum has aplurality of recesses for fitting the vibration reductive soundinsulating members therein in a length direction of the drum.

[0027] The vibration reductive sound insulating member is formed of anelastic material, preferably butyl rubber.

[0028] The vibration reductive sound insulating member is attached tothe outside surface of the drum, and the vibration reductive soundinsulating member preferably has a form of sheet.

[0029] The vibration reductive sound insulating member may be a butylrubber layer added with a sound absorbing material layer, such as apolyester layer.

[0030] Thus, the drum device in a home appliance of the presentinvention can insulate the vibratory sound caused by collision offittings to laundry and the drum when the drum is rotated, therebysecuring silence of the home appliance, to enhance a productreliability.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0031]FIG. 1 illustrates a disassembled perspective view of key parts ofa related art dryer;

[0032]FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of a drum device in a homeappliance in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention; and

[0033]FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of a system in accordancewith another preferred embodiment of the present invention.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0034] Preferred embodiments of a drum device in a home appliance of thepresent invention having the foregoing system will be explained, withreference to the attached drawings. Components identical to the relatedart will be given the same reference symbols with the related artdrawings.

[0035] Referring to FIG. 2, the drum 30 is cylindrical, to form achamber 31 therein. If the drum 30 of the present invention is employedin a dryer or a drum type washing machine, the chamber 31 has laundryintroduced thereto, for drying or washing the laundry.

[0036] There are grooves along an outside circumference of the drum 30.There is a drum belt 34 wound at one side of the groove 32 for drivingthe drum 30.

[0037] Though the groove 32 around the outside surface of the drum hasan annular form along a circumference, the groove may be helical alongthe outside circumferential surface of the drum.

[0038] There is a vibration reductive sound insulating member in thegroove 32 for insulating vibratory sound caused by collision occurredinside of the metallic drum 30. The vibration reductive sound insulatingmember serves to insulate vibratory sound occurred when a hard objectcollide with the metallic drum 30, effectively.

[0039] The vibration reductive sound insulating member is preferablyformed of an elastic material, for example, rubber, or leather, and mostpreferably, butyl rubber, which has a good processibility, is easy tocomposite with other material, has an excellent heat resistance, anexcellent fire retardancy, and strong vibration reductive capability.The butyl rubber is attached around the outside circumferential surfaceof the drum 30 along the groove 32, to do which an adhesive is coated onone side of the butyl rubber 40.

[0040] The vibration reductive sound insulating member may be acomposite layer of a butyl rubber layer and a sound absorbing materiallayer, such as a polyester sheet.

[0041] It is preferable that the butyl rubber 40 is attached to alocation where the fittings to the laundry collide the most frequently.Though the location may be found by experiment, in general the locationis in the vicinity of a middle part of the drum 10.

[0042] The butyl rubber 40 has a thickness suitable to the groove 32such that the butyl rubber 40 is not projected beyond the outsidesurface of the drum 30, for not affecting rotation of the drum 30.

[0043] The embodiment in FIG. 2 illustrates two wound lines of butylrubber 40. However, a number of the wound lines of the butyl rubber 40may differ depending on design conditions.

[0044] Next, another embodiment of the present invention is illustratedFIG. 3. Referring to the drawing, there is a chamber 131 in acylindrical drum 130. The chamber 131 has laundry introduced theretofor, as an example, washing or drying.

[0045] The drum 130 has a drum belt 134 wound around an outside surfaceof the drum 130 for transmission of power for rotating the drum 130. Thedrum belt 134 is wound in a belt groove 132 formed along an outsidecircumferential surface of the drum 130.

[0046] In the meantime, there are a plurality of butyl rubbers 140,vibration reductive sound insulating members, attached to the outsidesurface of the drum 130. The embodiment has a plurality of butyl rubbers140 attached on both sides of the belt groove 132 in parallel in alength direction of the drum 130. Recesses 232 may be formed in theoutside surface of the drum 130 for attachment of the butyl rubbers 140.

[0047] The operation of the foregoing drum device in a home appliance ofthe present invention will be explained, in detail.

[0048] The present invention has butyl rubber 40, a vibration reductivesound insulating member, attached to the outside surface of the drum 30,for insulating vibratory sound occurred during rotation of the drum 30.

[0049] That is, when the drum 30 is rotated in a state the laundry isintroduced into the chamber 31 of a dryer, or a washing machine, thelaundry repeats a process of being dropped after lifted to an upper partof the chamber 31.

[0050] In the process, fittings, such as buttons, zippers, and clips ofhard materials, such as metal or plastic collide with the inside surfaceof the drum 30. Because the drum 30 is formed of a metal, such asstainless steel, and has a vacant inside, vibratory sound is generatedwhen the fittings collide with the drum 30. However, such vibratorysound can be insulated effectively by the vibration reductive soundinsulating member attached to the outside of the drum 30.

[0051] Moreover, the butyl rubber 40 is particularly favorable for thedryer, and the like that has a danger of fire, as the butyl rubber 40 isfire retardant.

[0052] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variousmodifications and variations can be made in the drum device in a homeappliance of the present invention without departing from the spirit orscope of the invention. Thus, it is intended that the present inventioncover the modifications and variations of this invention provided theycome within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

[0053] Industrial Applicability

[0054] As has been explained in detail, the drum device in a homeappliance of the present invention has vibration reductive soundinsulating member fitted to an outside surface of a drum for insulatingvibratory sound caused by collision of fittings, such as buttons, andthe like, with an inside surface of the drum as the laundry is droppedwhen the drum is rotated, thereby improving silence of a drum typewashing machine, or a home appliance, to enhance a product reliabilityof consumer by one stage higher.

[0055] Accordingly, the present invention is very useful for industries.

What is claimed is:
 1. A drum device for a home appliance comprising: adrum having a chamber therein rotatably fitted for carrying out a work;and vibration reductive sound insulating member fitted to the drum forinsulating vibratory sound caused by collision of objects flowing insideof the chamber with the drum as the drum is rotated.
 2. A drum device asclaimed in claim 1, wherein the vibration reductive sound insulatingmember is fitted around an outside circumferential surface of the drum.3. A drum device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the outsidecircumferential surface of the drum has recesses for fitting thevibration reductive sound insulating members therein.
 4. A drum deviceas claimed in claim 1, wherein a plurality of the vibration reductivesound insulating members are fitted to the outside surface of the drumin a length direction of the drum.
 5. A drum device as claimed in claim4, wherein the outside circumferential surface of the drum has aplurality of recesses for fitting the vibration reductive soundinsulating members therein in a length direction of the drum.
 6. A drumdevice as claimed in one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the vibrationreductive sound insulating member is formed of an elastic material.
 7. Adrum device as claimed in claim 2 or 4, wherein the vibration reductivesound insulating member is attached to the outside surface of the drum.8. A drum device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the vibration reductivesound insulating member has a form of sheet.
 9. A drum device as claimedin claim 4, wherein the vibration reductive sound insulating member isformed of butyl rubber.
 10. A drum device as claimed in claim 1, whereinthe vibration reductive sound insulating member is a composite layer ofa butyl rubber layer and a polyester layer.